Sons of Norway

• Director: Jens Lien
• Writer: Nikolaj Frobenius
• Cast: Åsmund Høeg, Sven Nordin, Sonja Richter, Tony Veisle Skarpsmo, John Lydon
• Language: Norsk
• Theatrical Release Date: September 9, 2011

Synopsis: It's 1978 and 14-year-old Nikolas is living an idyllic existence with his young brother and his archetypal, politicized hippie parents, the energetic Magnus (Sven Nordin) and the angelic Lone (Sonja Richter). When Lone is killed in a car accident, Magnus falls into a deep depression. Nikolas has nowhere to turn until his best friend proudly slaps his latest purchase on the turntable: The Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks…. (The film was executive produced by former Pistols leader John Lydon, who plays a pivotal role in the movie.) Soon enough, Nikolas finds a new use for safety pins and buys a guitar. The real rub - and much of the comedy - comes when his father partially snaps out of his depression. Instead of disciplining Nikolas, Magnus encourages him. It may be hard to rebel, but it's even tougher when your father is listening to the same records as you. Lively, entertaining and insightful, Jens Lien's "Sons of Norway" is one of the funniest and most charming coming-of-age stories to come out of the Nordic region since "Fucking Amal." [Synopsis courtesy of TIFF]